Bronze treasures from the Royal Court of Benin will be on display at NSU as part of the university’s 10th Annual African Presence Exhibit, opening on Thursday, Jan. 31.
The Benin: A Kingdom of Bronze exhibit features more than 80 pieces of artwork from the Royal Court, crafted in brass, wood and terra cotta.
The collection comes to NSU from the Ebohon Cultural Center of Benin City, Nigeria, which is among the largest private museums in West Africa and holds a collection of more than 7,000 pieces and related historical documents dating back to the 18th century.
The Benin: A Kingdom of Bronze exhibit will be displayed in NSU’s Second Floor Gallery inside of the Alvin Sherman Library, which has been transformed into a reproduction of the Oba (Monarch Palace) giving visitors a historical sense of African social organization before The Middle Passage, or the transatlantic journey of non-return.
The exhibit’s Opening Reception will be hosted from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 31 in NSU’s Don Taft University Center. It will feature refreshments, giveaways, musical entertainment and dance performances, culminating in a trip to the Second Floor Gallery, where the exhibit will be unveiled.
The Opening Reception is free and open to the public, but RSVP is required by calling 954-262-5357 or emailing serioux@nova.edu.
After the Opening Reception, Benin: A Kingdom of Bronze will be on display until Feb. 26. The exhibit is also FREE and open to the public Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m., Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Sundays from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
The exhibit is also part of NSU’s Annual Black History Month Celebration; for more information, please visit www.nova.edu/blackhistory.